Mr Tedeschi said Mr Xie had three separate motives when he crept into his brother-in-law's home in Sydney's northwest in the early hours of July 18, 2009, with the plan to kill the family.

Using a hammer-like weapon, it is alleged he went into their bedrooms and murdered his brother-in-law Min "Norman" Lin, 45, Mr Lin's wife, Yun "Lily" Li Lin, 44, and their sons Henry, 12, and Terry, 9, in the North Epping home.